The Lord Mayor’s Show: Why it took place on Mondays more often than Saturdays

The Lord Mayor’s Show takes place this Saturday (9th November), but it didn’t used to, and in fact, over the centuries, it has taken place on Mondays far more often than on Saturdays.

The office of Lord Mayor dates from 1189, and the show, which seems to start in 1215, owes its origins to the procession that the Lord Mayor would make to Westminster to take his (always a man back then) oath of office. In 1883, the route was shortened when the Royal Courts moved from Westminster to Strand, and the oath still takes place there to this day.

However, the day that the Lord Mayor’s Show took place used to change every year as it took place the day after the Feast of St Simon and St Jude—so the 29th October (30th if that was a Sunday). Just like modern calendars, the 29th of October occurs on a different day of the week each year.

In 1751, Great Britain adopted the Gregorian Calendar, so while the Show still took place the day after the Feast of St Simon and St Jude, that was now the 9th November — and it still occurred more often during the working week than at weekends.

Another change was that for most of its life, the Lord Mayor’s Show had been a river procession – and only switched to the roads in 1856/7.

As the now land-based Lord Mayor’s procession became increasingly grand and work shifted towards office-based work, hosting the parade during the working week became increasingly problematic. This was made even worse because the parade would change the route each year to ensure it passed through the Ward of the Alderman who had been elected Lord Mayor.

Eventually, in 1959, Parliament approved the City of London (Various Powers) Act, which granted the City permission to move the show to the weekends, and ever since, it’s been held on the second Saturday in November, and also with a fixed route.

Which made me wonder how often the Lord Mayor’s Show took place each day of the week.

• Sunday: 0 times
• Monday: 219 times
• Tuesday: 108 times
• Wednesday: 110 times
• Thursday: 110 times
• Friday: 110 times
• Saturday: 176 times

So, the Lord Mayor’s Show has occurred on a Monday much more often than a Saturday, but only because of the Sunday ban. It’ll be the Year of Our Lord 2067 when Saturday finally overtakes Monday in the totals. Please put it in your diaries.

Incidentally, if the Show hadn’t been moved to the second Saturday in November and still took place on the 9th November — then the tally would look like this:

• Sunday: 0 times
• Monday:237 times
• Tuesday: 117 times
• Wednesday: 120 times
• Thursday: 121 times
• Friday: 119 times
• Saturday: 120 times

But, that didn’t happen, and rather than closing down half the city in the middle of the week, the Lord Mayor’s Show takes place on Saturdays — and as it happens, this Saturday is the 9th November, so the show is once again taking place on its ancestral date.

The Lord Mayor’s Show days by calendar period

1189 to 1750

• Sunday: 0
• Monday: 160
• Tuesday: 80
• Wednesday: 80
• Thursday: 82
• Friday: 79
• Saturday: 81

1751 to 1958

• Sunday: 0
• Monday: 59
• Tuesday: 28 (would have been 29, but the show was cancelled in 1852)
• Wednesday: 30
• Thursday: 29
• Friday: 31
• Saturday: 30

1959 to 2024

• Saturday: 65